How to Deal
by Cutie5
Summary: It's all about Jimmy. Cindy's an afterthought. Why is he treating her like this?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

**_How to Deal_**

Eleven year old Cindy Vortex gazed out her window with tears in her eyes. Nine o'clock flashed on her bedside alarm clock—_he_ hadn't showed up yet. It was the third time in the past two weeks that Jimmy Neutron had broken off another date he had planned for them.

_Flashback:_

"_Cindy, wait up! Cindy!" he called out to the angry blonde, storming out of the school building._

"_Get away from me, Nerdtron!" she snapped, picking up speed as she headed for home. After only getting a few hundred feet, she felt a hand latch onto her arm, pulling her back into the arms of her boyfriend._

"_I'm warning you—let me go **now!**" she growled venomously, trying to keep her composure, which unfortunately hadn't lasted for very long. A few tears were already present on her face as she continued to hide the fact that she was breaking down inside. How could he just forget about the stargazing event he planned for them!_

"_I know I forgot again, Cindy…It's just…I've been performing some routine maintenance on the lab. All these storms we've had lately have disrupted the computers that operate everything—if VOX isn't working properly, I won't even be able to get into my lab much less work on my inventions. Worst of all, my DNA scanner is broken! It's taken me weeks—"_

"_Yeah, yeah yeah, it's always about you, isn't it? You said you would meet me AT THE PARK after 7:30 and you weren't even there! I try to call your house and your mom tells me you're pulling another 'all nighter' in the lab! You knew we had a date this week **and **last week and you completely blew me off!"_

_Jimmy looked sheepishly at his hands before he locked his gaze into Cindy's deep emerald eyes. "I didn't—" _

"Yes you did. Jimmy, you **call** your girlfriend if you're not going to be able to do something with her. What you've done the last two times is rude…inconsiderate."

_Not being able to control her emotions any longer, she felt the tears gush down her cheeks uncontrollably. He reached up and brushed away a few of the tears with his hand._

"_I'm so sorry, Cindy." He whispered softly, pulling her into his arms, feeling a rush of guilt spread over him._

_Her facial expression softened as he was holding her. Even still, something had to give. "I think we should take a break…this isn't working out so well…"_

_He paused for a moment as the couple pulled apart from their embrace. Then, came the three word sentence that completely melted her heart. _

"_Cindy, I love you…" _

_Love was a very complicated word…one minute it could mean commitment and devotion, the next, lies and betrayal. In this case it meant both. Her family problems at home were enough as it is, but when her boyfriend was added into the equation of emotional problems she was having, it had become next to impossible to bear._

"_I know things between us haven't been easy lately, but… I never meant to hurt you, Cin. The last thing I'd want is to see you cry. You have to believe that."_

_Cindy nodded in acknowledgement, allowing him to continue._

"_Please give me another chance…I want to make this work."_

_Cindy, about ready to respond, was interrupted by Jimmy holding up a hand._

"_I know, Cindy, you've already given me a second chance so why should I have a third? Maybe this will answer your question."_

_He pulled a small box from behind his back and placed it in her palm._

"_This isn't one of your inventions, is it?" she replied, carefully inspecting the box._

_He shook his head and smiled, "Open it."_

_Jimmy eagerly watched as Cindy cautiously opened the tiny package. Inside was a small ring with an inscription written on the outside:_

'_J+C Forever'_

_Letting out a soft gasp, she looked deep into his eyes. _

"_Jimmy…where did you get this? Why?"_

"_I made it out of some scrap silver I found a few weeks ago. I was meaning to give it to you, but I wanted to wait for just the right moment."_

_Cindy had a dreamy, contented look on her face which soon melted into an expression full of skepticism._

"_The right moment…"_

_Jimmy took a few steps towards the confused preteen._

"_You don't like it?"_

"_Neutron, if this is a sympathy gift, I can't accept this. If you really and truly love me, you're gonna have to prove it."_

_He grabbed her hand and led her to the hovercar. After they climbed in, Jimmy put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, leaving Cindy anxiously hoping that he would do something **right** for once._

"_There's going to be a stargazing expedition tonight at Lookout Point. I'm going to take you, and you're going to dress nice. I'll pick you up in the hovercar outside your window," he instructed as they were headed towards Cindy's house. _

_Cindy sighed as she started toying with the ring he had given her. She still hadn't found the guts to put it on, as she rolled it around in her hand, observing all the different colors the ring possessed in the sunlight. She felt a hand run through her hair as Jimmy snuggled closer to her._

"_How do I know you're actually going to show up this time?"_

_Jimmy took the ring out of her hand and placed it on her right ring finger. He then slowly turned her face towards his, placing a finger underneath her chin._

"_Because nothing is going to tear me away from what matters to me most," he replied softly as he slowly advanced towards the girl, brushing his lips softly against hers. She almost wanted to pull away and slap him for everything he's put her through, but, knowing what kind of effect his kiss had upon her, she closed her eyes and returned the emotional display of affection that was bestowed upon her, desperately holding onto what was left of their troubled relationship._

_Once they parted, Jimmy gave Cindy an encouraging smile. _

"I want you to think of me every time you wear this ring. It symbolizes the strong feelings I have for you."

_Cindy began to question her faith she had in the boy sitting next to her. She had been in love with him from the first day she saw him, and the thought of breaking up with him literally ripped her apart inside. He was everything she had been looking for in a potential romantic interest: kind, extremely smart, handsome...way better looking than Nick ever was._

_But what had become pure romance the first few months of their relationship was merely salvageable at this point. She didn't feel like she had the Jimmy she once had. The Jimmy she knew never missed a date, never forgot about her, and was always there for her when it counted._

_He was now taking everything he had with her for granted everything they shared. Even after all they've been through, nothing seemed to mean a whole lot anymore. He only wanted to spend time with Cindy when it was convenient for his schedule—heaven forbid his lab work get in the way of a relationship. His work came first before anything else…even his other friends came before she did. But then again, her best friend Libby wasn't really a part of Jimmy's group anymore, either. They had both drifted away for 'scientific reasons' Jimmy never would mention, except that he didn't want the girls, especially Cindy, getting hurt._

_Jimmy pulled over to her bedroom window, while Cindy grabbed her books and looked into his eyes one last time with an uncertain expression. She wanted to trust him, but she knew something still wasn't right._

_He wrapped her into a protective embrace, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face._

"_Don't worry about anything. Go ahead and get ready. I'll pick you up around 7:30." _

_And with that, she climbed inside her window as Jimmy gave her a see you later kiss and headed off towards his respected home._

"Jimmy…where are you?" she whispered irately, banging her fist on the windowpane as more tears fell down her face. How could he do this, especially after he said he wouldn't?

Cindy slowly maneuvered herself away from the window to her dresser set. Dressed in a tight form-fitting strapless black dress with matching black flats, a small amount of makeup, and free-flowing long blonde hair, she was the definition of true beauty. What Jimmy could possibly still be doing in that lab of his that was more important than his date with the girl he supposedly loved, was beyond her.

She grabbed a few more Kleenexes and sat down on the edge of her bed and continued to sob, until she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Cindy?"

She reopened her eyes to see Jimmy standing in a dress suit beside her.

"Jimmy?" she whimpered softly, looking into his eyes.

He drew her into his arms as she cried softly.

"Don't cry, Cindy…I'm here."

All sorts of thoughts flooded the blonde's mind as to how he got in her room, seeing as how the window was shut, why he was so late, and why he even bothered to show at all. Regardless of those questions, she needed him badly. Having a broken heart was simply not going to do at all.

"You're so beautiful…" he told her as he wiped away the tears that continued to cascade down her face.

She was utterly speechless…Jimmy even being in her room at that present moment had to be too good to be true.

"I didn't think you were coming…" she murmured quietly as she closed her eyes, inhaling the light, fragrant cologne he was wearing.

"How could I forget?" he grinned, as his lips met hers in a deep kiss.

He pulled away slowly, giving her a quick squeeze. "You ready to go?"

And, just like that, all the fears Cindy had…come true.

She nodded her head in response, but when she opened her eyes…he was gone.

"Jimmy?" she looked around worriedly, in all directions.

"Jimmy…I'm ready to go." She said again, hoping he'd reappear…to at least tell her he wanted to see her, if not to take her anyplace at all.

However, it was evident after several minutes of searching that Jimmy was never there—it had all been in her imagination. And that was when something inside her finally snapped. Cindy finally came to the realization that Jimmy Neutron did not love her. He never did.

Out of frustration and heartbreak, Cindy angrily swiped everything off her dresser, knocking pictures, makeup and jewelry to the ground with a loud crash. She grinned out of satisfaction when the picture of her and Jimmy from a recent dance had been cracked as she placed it into a separate container. She then forcibly pulled the ring he had given her earlier off her finger and placed it back in the box he had given her.

Not bothering to change into her pajamas, she quickly turned out the light and flung herself into bed, crying herself into a deep, deep slumber.

* * *

Several hours later, a figure climbed through her window and sat on the edge of Cindy's bed.

"Cindy…" he whispered softly, running his fingers through her hair as he came across the container, as well as the rubble scattered all over her bedroom floor.

"I know you hate me," he sighed sadly, placing one final chaste kiss on her lips, "But I love you…"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

The next morning, Cindy awoke with a jolt to a rather loud, obnoxious hip-hop song on the radio. Her hair was a tangled mess as she stumbled out of bed.

"Ugh, why am I wearing this?" she grumbled eyeballing her dress she left on from the night before.

This had only brought her to the realization of the events that had taken place, and the last person in the world she'd want to run into at school today.

"Neutron," she sighed, grabbing some clothes as she headed towards the shower.

* * *

For the boy across the street, he barely gave the night before a second thought as he quickly dressed for school. He had felt extremely guilty the night before—the whole reason why he had decided to come see her while she was sleeping. But he couldn't dwell on the past. This was a new day for him, and if he could fix any of his inventions, a broken heart should be a piece of cake—especially considering it was Cindy Vortex…a girl that could easily be broken with a single kiss on the lips and a little bit of charm.

Jimmy decided upon wearing something a little different. A hypothesis that proved to be at least 90 true to the genius could simply be described as follows: A way to a girl's heart can solely depend on how you look. The better looking guys always get the girl they desire…

Or so he thought.

* * *

Cindy quickly threw her school clothes on and loosely pulled her hair into a ponytail. Appearance meant little or nothing to her anymore. It would now only be about her education and nothing more. She knew after her 5th grade year that she could always transfer to another school if she wished—her mother had put great pressure on her to do so after she found out she was dating Jimmy Neutron. After all the emotional trauma he had put her through, nothing mattered.

Without grabbing anything to eat, Cindy grabbed the box with her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend's things and trudged out of her house at about half past ­seven, a full half hour before Jimmy normally left for school. She knew that she needed to talk to someone, but she would deal with that much, _much_ later. She just wanted to be alone more than anything.

Her best friend Libby eagerly raced out the door for school in a particularly better mood than usual. Although she didn't have Jimmy, Sheen and Carl to hang around anymore, because of the 'it's too dangerous' rule Jimmy recently made up, she still had a great deal to be thankful for. She was extremely happy to see that Jimmy and Cindy had set aside their differences and taken the next big step in their relationship. However, she had very little knowledge as to the couple's problems, especially from Cindy's perspective. She had a history of pretending things were fine, even if they sometimes weren't. It was easier for Cindy to conceal her depression since she had been dating than it was before 'Jimmy and Cindy' existed. Libby used to be able to read her like a book whenever she had a problem because it usually dealt with the overachieving efforts Cindy made to please her mother, or the fact that she was secretly in love with the boy genius she publicly mocked. After the two finally 'hooked up' though, it had become much harder for Libby to figure out if anything was ever wrong or it all was cool, especially in Cindy's love life.

Unfortunately, once she saw Cindy coming up the walk in tears, she knew something was seriously up.

"Cindy!" she called, running up to her with a worried expression on her face. Cindy began to pick up speed when she noticed her best friend following her.

"Cindy, wait! What's wrong? I want to talk to you!"

The dark-skinned brunette finally caught up with her outside the doors of Lindbergh Elementary where she grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Cindy, what's going on? Why are you crying?"

Quickly wiping her tears, the blonde replied dispassionately, "Nothing, I just want to go in."

Pushing her friend aside, Cindy entered the school building and headed for her locker.

"Cindy, I'm not leaving your side until you tell me what's up. You've not exactly been yourself the last couple of days." Libby advised as she continued to trail behind her.

The girl continued to ignore her as she grabbed a few books out of her locker, including the box she was carrying, and headed towards Miss Fowl's classroom.

"It's gotta be about two things, your mom, or Jimmy."

Scowling, she turned to face Libby, speaking to her in a low voice, "It's no one. Go away,"

It wasn't like Cindy to tell her best friend to go away, and it was finally the last straw. She grabbed Cindy's arm and led her to the other side of the hallway. The frustrated girl next to her protested, trying to squirm her way out of Libby's grasp, but to no avail.

"We are going to talk about this and we're going to talk about it _now._ What is going on with you!" she asked as they sat down on the cold concrete floor below their feet.

Cindy eventually realized she was defeated as she looked into Libby's brown eyes full of concern. As much as she wanted to deny her problems, she consciously knew it wasn't right to keep anything concealed. It wasn't healthy, but then again neither was Cindy's mental state, which was, at present, becoming worse by the minute.

Silence overcame the two girls for several minutes as Cindy tried to figure out the right way to word what she wanted to say, but no matter how many times she tried to phrase one of the most complicated situations she's ever faced in her life, nothing could come out of her mouth.

"What's in that box you keep carrying around anyway?" Libby finally asked as she took the ring and the picture of Cindy and her boyfriend out of it.

"Okay, Cin, spill. What's up with you and Jimmy? Is he the reason why you're so upset?"

The pressure was too much to take as tears flooded Cindy's cheeks.

"I—I don't think he loves me anymore…" she wept, as Libby pulled her into her arms.

The distraught girl continued, "He's missed three dates with me in the past two and a half weeks, he never calls anymore…he's always in that **stupid** lab of his… Yesterday…yesterday he…he asked me to give him another chance. He was so convincing!"

Libby sighed sadly, as she stared into her hurt-filled eyes. Grabbing a tissue from her purse, she wiped the blonde's tears as she persuaded her to continue.

"I felt like a girl out of one of those fairytale storybooks. He gave me this ring that said, 'J+C Forever' on it…a symbol of 'the strong feelings he has for me'. Jimmy then set up this perfect date…a stargazing at Lookout Point. He gave me the perfect kiss, telling me how important I am to him. I can't believe I fell for his lies! Why would Neutron do this to me? I loved him so much…and he completely blew me off. Libs, he's broken my heart….he's made me cry more times than my mother with his irresponsibility."

"Oh, Cindy…"

She went on to explain the vision she had of Jimmy in her room, causing her to tear up even more.

"It was so real…I thought he was there…"

Libby paused long enough to take in everything Cindy had told her. For her, she had only been on several dates with Sheen—nothing was too serious between them, especially now when she was completely out of the loop with Jimmy and his friends anyway. But deep down she knew that Cindy and Jimmy both had an obligation to each other, only Cindy was more devoted than Jimmy apparently wanted to be.

"I think you guys need a break. Jimmy just might not be the one for you…"

"But, I love him…"

"How does love have anything to do with the fact that he's makin' you cry?" You came in here ready to break up with him—all you have to do is just give him this stuff back and tell him you need some time to think. If he decides later on that he really does love you, he'll come back. But if you keep blaming yourself and accepting Jimmy's apologies, you're not going to like yourself."

* * *

Jimmy came into the school building with a brand new outfit and a more casual hairstyle. Knowing what his first order of business was, he grabbed some books out of his locker and searched the halls for Cindy. He knew she always socialized with Libby before each and every school day about the usual gossip around school, so it wouldn't be too hard to find her; however, he was going to have quite a hard time trying to explain to the disheartened girl what was keeping him from seeing her for the _third time in a row_.

He reached the location where Cindy normally was, not able to find her. Scratching his head, he decided to trudge on, hoping he'd even be able to just get a glimpse of her.

Jimmy never really took the time to ask himself why he was being so thoughtless towards the one person he ever had any real feelings for. He didn't even seem to realize how much he was hurting her with his careless attitude. Cindy was only an afterthought to him—a convenience only when he wasn't busy working on anything else he deemed to be considerably more important. Her feelings were easy to manipulate, considering all the times he was able to back out of engagements at the last possible minute.

He never once had a worry in the world about them breaking up…he did still love her, in a way…she was very pretty. And whenever he had the desire to hold her and make her feel special, he made sure to make Cindy feel like the only other person in his life that meant something other than science.

He came across a curvy blonde girl in tears, slowly making her way towards class with a comforting Libby beside her. As he started to approach the two friends, Libby immediately flashed him a 'stay away from my best friend' glare.

He still had a few tricks up his sleeve that would have Cindy crawling back to him…all he needed was the right moment…

And the instant class had begun to start, he found the _perfect_ opportunity.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

As Miss Fowl was preparing her students for the next upcoming math test, Cindy made an attempt to keep her composure by looking at the board, straight ahead, or at her notes and not on the young genius sitting next to her. She may have had to sit next to Jimmy in the front of the classroom, but she didn't have to speak to him.

What had made class interesting was Jimmy and Cindy's infamous arguments over who was right or wrong, more right than the other, or the friendly competition the couple always engaged themselves in. After the pair started going out, they even worked together as partners much more frequently on many various projects. No one, not even Cindy, had any fathomable idea what went wrong or why Jimmy was acting the way he had lately.

He answered every single question correctly in the review. Only when asked would Cindy even bother to give an answer—she knew them about as well as Jimmy did, and there wasn't really a point in trying to prove to him or anyone that she could get an A in the subject, even if her so-called boyfriend was doing so much better than her. This was how the morning went.

In Social Studies when the class was watching a film on Africa, Jimmy had tried to put his arm around her, kiss her cheek—even hold her hand. Seeing as the teacher had yet again fell asleep due to the lack of interest the documentary provided, Jimmy had some opportunity to attempt affection on the heartbroken female sitting next to him. But each time he made an effort to place any moves on Cindy, she would pull away, scooting her desk even further away from the boy. Continuing his position to attain one of the most beautiful girls in school was going to be a little more difficult than the genius previously thought. But he was not, under any means, going to give up yet.

Writing a note to Cindy was another tactic that came to mind as everyone continued to watch the movie. He quickly grabbed a piece of paper from his notebook and scribbled out a short message:

_Cindy,_

_I'm sorry that I've hurt you. I was hoping we could talk today at lunch—I can explain everything if you just give me the chance._

_I love you._

_Jimmy_

He promptly folded it and threw it over on her desk. The girl glanced at it and rolled her eyes as she quickly skimmed the note. A few seconds later, she crumpled it in her hand and tossed it to Libby to throw in the trash.

She closed her eyes, remembering a particular event in her life that changed everything between them…

_It was a cold, quiet night—perfect for a party. Cindy decided on throwing a spur of the moment party with a few friends…namely Jimmy, Libby, Carl and Sheen, but you know how it is with parties…once the word is out, the whole neighborhood knows. _

_She went through her closet for hours until she found the perfect outfit—a glittery pink tube top and a rather cute stretch pair of black pants. She wanted Jimmy to notice her for more than her brains…but her beauty. Jimmy had spent the whole school year fawning over Betty Quinlan—a girl that hardly had any interest in him at all whatsoever. Cindy wanted Jimmy to ask _her _out. She was tired of being alone, especially since everyone she knew already had boyfriends. No one would be able to fill the void she was feeling deep down inside except for **him**. Betty could never feel the way that Cindy felt towards Jimmy._

_She had, however, underestimated exactly how undersized the tube top actually was when she had purchased it a few days ago. After she pulled it over her head it was a lot shorter than anything her mother would ever let her wear. She could only remember the lecture she got from her when she was caught wearing that 'Special Girl' outfit as part of 'The N Men.' Her mother had completely disapproved of her having it on because of the fact that it exposed more of her stomach than she wanted anyone to see. She even had the gall to say that the outfit was "way too revealing for a girl her age to be wearing." But considering her mother wasn't even home that night, she had decided to take her chances—it was however, only showing about as much skin as the super hero outfit, which she knew would spark Jimmy's attention as well as the rest of her appearance. And besides, it wasn't anything like what she had seen girls flaunting in the music videos she occasionally watched. _

_She wore her hair down and added a little more makeup than usual to enhance the exact look she was going for. Out of all the guests that showed up that night, Cindy had gotten more looks than she ever received from anyone._

_Over 25 kids were packed into the Vortex household that night for food, music, and talking…until Nick suggested the unexpected: spin the bottle. _

_Cindy was extremely nervous as the group sat around in a huge circle with an old bottle in the middle. She and Jimmy had only kissed once, but had recently begun to fight off and on the past few days. Nothing was official between the couple as of yet. Her best friend Libby, however, was excited. She had already made Cindy aware of the small crush she had on Sheen, so it was pretty evident that if she got a hold of that bottle, she'd make sure she got who she wanted._

_Fate, however, took a different turn when the bottle had eventually came to her. She took a careful aim at Sheen, but when the bottle had eventually stopped spinning, it landed on a most unlikely character—Carl Wheezer. She frowned as they headed into the washroom, which had been decided upon as the designated spot for the big 'make-out sessions.' As always with this game, the person you get when you spin the bottle goes with you into a room with no one watching to make-out with that particular guy. _

_It had been only about a minute when Libby came running back towards the circle with a look of disgust on her face. _

"_Don't tell anyone, but we both decided not to—we're so not into each other," she whispered to Cindy as the bottle was being handed to her._

_She could feel a blush creep over her cheeks, as well as with Jimmy as she nervously set the bottle on the floor and started to spin it. It seemed like an eternity as the bottle continued to spin in circles. But as the bottle came to an abrupt stop, all eyes immediately started to fall on Jimmy._

_Libby nudged her with a wide grin on her face. _

"_At least one of us got their crush!"_

_Giggles and suppressed oohs could be heard in the background as Cindy nervously looked over in Jimmy's direction._

"_Cindy has a serious thing for him," whispered one of the girls from the far side of the room. _

_The girl timidly stood up and walked towards him. She couldn't mess this up…it was her final shot she had with the genius she had secretly been in love with for two long years._

_They headed towards the laundry room without even looking back at the crowd that was staring at them. Jimmy had been extremely quiet the whole night, which had been a bit of a shock to Cindy, having been accustomed to hearing at least one insult. He looked her over the moment he arrived at her house earlier—nothing more. Not one word was spoken, one compliment given, or a smile revealed. But now they were alone as they entered the dimly lit room full of cleaning products and a washer/dryer set._

_Cindy's body felt incredibly weak like Jell-O as the pair stood a great distance apart from each other looking at the floor. After a few moments of silence, she quietly spoke._

"_It—it's a little dark in here, isn't it?"_

"_Yeah," Jimmy replied almost as quietly, "I wonder what we're going do for the next fifteen minutes…"_

_The blonde shyly gazed up at him, carefully wording exactly what she wanted to say._

"_We're supposed to…um…"_

"_M-make out," he replied, completing her thought._

_Jimmy nervously paced back and forth while Cindy slowly turned to face one of the walls._

"_We don't really have to do this…do we?"_

_The moment he had made that statement, Cindy's whole world came crashing down on her. The way he had said that remark lacked the enthusiasm Cindy had only dreamed he would have. A few tears fell down her cheeks as she remained facing away from the boy._

"_No," she whispered, trying to hide the disappointment and tears in her voice._

_Jimmy could tell something was wrong the moment she responded to his question. He never wanted Cindy to know the one secret he had been holding back since school started. He was in love with her. He noticed how much she had changed from the beginning of the school year. Her long, free flowing blonde hair was as captivating to the eye as it was to his emotions. Her body had also become more curvaceous, which was very rare for most eleven-year old girls. It was no wonder most of the other girls in the whole 5th grade had become envious of her since the majority of other females her age didn't develop until they were at least thirteen. He could no longer deny the fact that Cindy Vortex was indeed…extremely desirable._

_Not only was she the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon…she was smart, much more refined…not as insulting or as rude as she once was. Their arguments never lasted as long as they once had, and Cindy was more quiet and reserved, especially in school. She minded her own business and said little to anyone except for Jimmy and Libby. No one really knew what the sudden change in attitude signified…not even Jimmy himself, but…in that brief moment…pieces of the puzzle that were once fuzzy, were now becoming much more clear._

_He eventually was able to hear Cindy's quiet crying when he came out of his deep thoughts. Maybe Cindy was feeling something towards him…maybe…she had feelings for him after all._

"_Um, Cindy," he started, "We…well…I mean—"_

"_No…it's okay," she replied softly, "It doesn't matter."_

_He sighed. He wanted to kiss Cindy, but he had thought many times about her reputation. The Cindy he had grown accustomed to never in a million years would have wanted him to touch her, much less make out with her. There was now that new found possibility that Cindy did not care about her reputation any longer, and the only way he would ever find out if the quiet, more mature girl had any serious feelings for him is if he made the first move._

_Jimmy slowly advanced towards the broken girl. Once he reached her he gently took her hand, pulling her into his arms before she could even turn to face him. He didn't question the strong emotions and feelings he had at the moment—he just did what he knew in his heart felt right. Cindy laid her head on his shoulder, gazing deep into his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her._

"_It does matter…" Jimmy said softly, inhaling her fragrant apple scented hair._

_She continued to quietly snivel as the tears continued to fall down her face. Jimmy wiped a few of her tears as she looked into his eyes._

_Cindy felt as if she was taking advantage of not only the moment, but Jimmy himself. She couldn't force him to become her boyfriend if he didn't want to be, no matter how jealous she became every time she saw him with another girl. He had a mind and heart of his own and she couldn't bear to live with herself if anything she tried to force upon the genius was to interfere with his happiness. The situation at hand appeared to be nothing more than an impulsive move made by the girl herself—playing upon his emotions with her tears as well as her tempting appearance._

_She pulled away from his embrace with a look of guilt spread over her face._

"_Jimmy, this isn't right…I've been taking advantage of you."_

_Jimmy frowned with a look of disappointment as he stared at the attractive blonde that was backing away from him._

"_Why?" he asked._

"_I made myself desirable so you would notice me. I…I like you, Jimmy, for more than a friend…but I know you don't feel the same way that I do, and I don't want to force you into this silly dare."_

_He began to take several steps forward as Cindy continued to move away from him with a look of fear on her face._

"_Jimmy…let's just leave, okay?" _

He took a hold of the girl's shoulders, pulling her back within arm's length of each other.

"_Cindy," he began, running his fingers through her hair, "I never realized you felt this strongly about me…I guess, what I'm trying to say is…I've been denying the fact that I would ever have any feelings towards you."_

_He paused, waiting for a response from Cindy who could only find herself lost in Jimmy's deep blue eyes without an answer or response to anything._

"_I'm not saying that there aren't other people our age that probably have such strong feelings for another person as you have for me, but I tend to think that pre-teen love is more experimental than actual."_

"_What are you saying?" she asked incredulously._

"_I'm saying that…Cindy you're smart…and pretty…and ever since you've started being nicer to me…and started dressing nice…I've started becoming attracted to you."_

_He slid his arms once more around her slender figure, pulling her even closer than she ever imagined before. Cindy was extremely speechless, shocked with the sudden change in emotions unfolding at that moment. She closed her eyes as she felt her skin begin to tingle while Jimmy nervously rubbed her lower back. She couldn't believe the boy of her dreams was in her arms and began to imagine what it would be like to spend more time with him alone…at the movies...top secret explorations…to even sharing secrets she knew he wouldn't mention to anyone._

_For Jimmy, all he could think about was how soft her skin felt between his fingertips and how dangerously close their faces were to each other._

"_Cindy," he whispered, leaning closer, "you're right and I'm wrong."_

_Cindy's heart began to race even faster as their breaths began to mingle in sync with one another._

"_About what?"_

"_I'm not sure," he said, "but maybe this might answer your question."_

_The pair slowly leaned forward as their faces got closer. As their noses brushed past each other and Jimmy's lips almost reached the destination he desperately sought, he immediately pulled away at the sound of footsteps and voices getting close to the door._

_Both Cindy and Jimmy dejectedly pulled away from each other as they heard the argument that was erupting outside between Nick and Sheen. _

_If her heart could physically break, she would have died a miserable person. Why did something always have to interrupt the moment she desperately wanted? Sure, a soft peck on the lips a few weeks ago for saving his life in a nearly-devastating hovercraft crash was sweet, but she wanted so much more than that. She wanted a kiss that conveyed something a lot more than a 'just friends' attitude…a kiss that conveyed their true feelings towards each other…a deep, romantic…dare she even say it—lingering kiss! _

_Cindy crept over to a small corner of the room and buried her face in her hands as tears flooded her cheeks once more. Many other guys had already asked her out towards the end of the approaching school year, but she had turned all of them down. She only felt comfortable being held by only one guy. She wouldn't be happy with anyone else, no matter how good of a kisser or even a talker they might be. _

_Creeping towards the door Jimmy grabbed a stool and set it on the floor. He climbed up to the second to the last step and peered out of the door's small little window to notice Nick, Sheen and a few other kids watching outside the small window overlooking the washroom._

"_This is boring, Sheen," yawned Nick as he looked in on the pair. "I don't see the point in standing here all night waiting for something to happen."_

"_Hey, this wasn't my idea. You bet me twenty dollars that they would make out!"_

"_Well, you're the one that wanted to spy on them! Come on, dude, face it. They won't do it."_

"_Stop blaming Sheen for this!" defended Libby, "You just want a picture of them kissing so you can embarrass my best friend in front of the whole school!"_

"_Can I help it if she wants to date a **nerd** instead of me?"_

"_You had your chance with her at the beginning of the school year when she had a huge crush on you, Nick. You broke her heart when you turned her down for a date to the Men Pretending to be Boys concert!"_

"_I don't even see them in there anyway!"_

_The arguments continued outside as Jimmy stepped away from the door._

"_Cin?" He asked quietly, scanning the room for any trace of the gorgeous girl who literally broke his heart every time he hurt her in any way. _

_It hadn't taken very long before he could took notice of a few quiet sobs from the right hand corner of the room. And at that very moment, he didn't care who was going to see or not. Jimmy finally had the courage to do what they had came to do—he and Cindy were going to make out, and if anyone gave her any trouble about it, he'd see to it they would never have anything more to make against it._

_He quickly made his way towards Cindy, who had somehow managed to slump herself onto the floor in an awkward position. The last thing he wanted to see was her tears…but he couldn't blame her. He was the one who instigated the almost-kiss, then pulled away at the last possible minute. If anyone had a right to be disappointed in him, it should be her._

_He crouched next to her, pulling her into another warmer, romantic embrace._

"_Please don't cry," he said desperately, stroking her hair as he looked deep into Cindy's tear-filled eyes, "I—I'm sorry…"_

_He held her for a long time, letting the young female cry every single last tear. He already had perfection staring him in the face…and he knew that this would be his only shot to have a pretty girl notice him…no one else hardly ever did. He never even knew exactly what Cindy saw in him except for the fact that he knew she thought he was cute, and a genius._

_He nervously looked down at her glossy pink lips, completely terrified at what he was about to do. He wasn't very good at kissing…it wasn't exactly something that came natural to him. An idea struck him that would take some of his fears away. This could be an experiment, or a trial run, and Cindy could be his test subject. If all went well, and she really wanted to go out with him, he'd know the experimentation was a complete success._

_He slowly brushed a few strands of her hair away from her eyes as his mouth got closer to hers. Then, finally, the couple's eyes closed and Jimmy's soft lips softly brushed against Cindy's. The girl began to gasp in surprise as his arms wrapped around her tightly and the kiss had started to become deeper. She kissed him back as she nervously wrapped her arms around his neck._

_Every few seconds he would pull away to catch a quick breath and start kissing her again, feeling more confident by the way he was being kissed back that Cindy was enjoying it as much as he was. Cindy had also become accustomed to his kissing, letting Jimmy dominate the whole session willingly. She couldn't admit to him how horrible she was at kissing, as it would have been a weakness. To Jimmy, it mattered neither, knowing he was kissing the most beautiful girl he had ever met. _

_His fingers slid across her silky lower back, through her hair and back to her face with gentle ease. The kissing intensified and became more powerful than it had a few minutes ago, and continued to progress steadily. There wasn't any other place Jimmy or Cindy wanted to be except where they were right then and there, finally setting their feelings free._

_About a half-hour later, they both pulled away, completely breathless. For the first time, finally, there were no interruptions…just a flawless, perfect moment, and two young preteens, extremely happy beyond belief._

_He gently pressed his forehead against hers with a grin spread across his face. Although he felt nervous, he continued to remain positive that his question would have a positive answer._

"_Cindy…will you go out with me?"_

_Her eyes lit up with joy as a soft giggle escaped from her just-been-kissed lips. _

"_Yes!"_

_When they left the room hand in hand, they finally knew where they belonged. And as the other guests snuggled in sleeping bags for the unexpected sleepover Libby naturally suggested later on (knowing all too well Cindy's mother wouldn't be home until late the next night), her and Jimmy couldn't have been happier, as they curled up inside of a large sleeping bag in each other's arms with faint smiles on both of their faces._

She sighed sadly, returning to the present as a few tears fell down her cheeks. Why was Jimmy so determined to manipulate her emotions? Worst of all, why would he emotionally hurt the girl he truly loved?


End file.
